29th February 2016

(Lanka-e-News -28.Feb.2016, 7.00PM) Former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse had given Rs.50 million to Karuna group to murder former Jaffna district M.P. Nadaraja Raviraj , an ex constable of the intelligence information unit, Liyanarachige Abeyaratne revealed before Colombo additional magistrate Thilina Gamage when giving evidence. The murder was an outcome of the conspiratorial actions of the previous government , and this sum was paid through Vasantha of the defense ministry to the Karuna faction . This murder was committed with the knowledge of DIG Keerthi Gajanayake ,SSP Doole(State intelligence division ) and the Karuna faction, ex constable further revealed. The non summary trial of Raviraj’s murder was heard before judge Thilina Gamage , and the winess made these disclosures when he was cross examined by the […]

By Gagani Weerakoon The Head of the State and his Foreign Minister seem to stand poles apart when it comes to getting foreign expertise in the process of investigating war crime allegations. This was evident when Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera clearly stated Sri Lanka is open to international actors in the war crimes probe and zeroed President Maithripala Sirisena’s remarks on the matter as mere personal opinion. Samaraweera made these remarks while participating a Q & A session following his address on “Advancing Reconciliation and Democracy” at a leading think-tank, the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC, on 25 February 2016. Interestingly, Samaraweera was introduced to the audience by Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, who dubbed the Foreign […]

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Our sister paper “Sunday Times”revealed details last week about an incident of friction between a senior cabinet minister and a senior military official that had occurred in Jaffna a few weeks earlier. The Sunday Times Political column scored a scoop by referring to an exchange of words between Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs minister Mangala Samaraweera and the Sri Lankan Army 51 division commander Major-General Chagi Gallage and the subsequent transfer of the military official from the north. Here are the relevant excerpts – “Two weeks ago, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera was here (Jaffna) to launch the Government’s website to seek views from the public on the proposed new Constitution. He took the opportunity to address Security Force Commanders and Divisional Commanders at the […]

”Advancing Reconciliation and Development in Sri Lanka” -Mangala address to US Institute of Peace in Washington (Lanka-e-News- 27.Feb.2016, 11.30PM) This is the Introduction before Mangal’s lecture by Nisha Desai Biswal, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs ”Thank you, Ambassador Taylor. It’s a real pleasure to be here today at the U.S. Institute for Peace, which has long sought to bring together and give voice to the constituencies for peacebuilding and reconciliation. I also want to thank the Heritage Foundation, and especially Lisa Curtis, for co-sponsoring this discussion and also for the excellent body of work they have put out on Sri Lanka. And I want to thank Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States Prasad Kariyawasam and our U.S. Ambassador in Colombo Atul Keshap, for […]